GOP state lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to delay a mandate for big-rigs in California to be all-electric by 2045.
The action was prompted by a fire earlier this week on Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada involving a Tesla all-electric semi-truck as well as a fire involving lithium ion batteries on I-15 in July.
In Monday's incident on I-80, the freeway was shut down for hours while, according to KCRA-TV in Sacramento, firefighters had to wait for the lithium-ion batteries to die, burn themselves out and cool down to 100 degrees.
Toxic fumes were another issue.
Republican Assemblyman Tom Lackey says it's not only a traffic issue but also a safety issue since lithium ion battery fires have the potential for thermal runaway.
Lackey, in a letter to Newsom's administration, asked if the governor has a plan for responding to electric truck fires.
Newsom's office, according to KCRA, says it is working on a response.
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